Guard for electric conductors.



- H. w. GONIA. GUARD FOR ELECTRIC GONDUGTORS. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 25, 1913.

1,099,744'. Patented June 9,1914.

HENRY.' GGNIKA, 0F IBRJSWIND, WEST VIRGIIA.

roca

Specification of Letters Patent.

l Patented J une 9, 1914.

Application led October 2.5, 1913. Serial No. '297,251.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that l, HENRY W. GOMA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berwind, in the county ol llllcDoWell and State oi' 'West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Guards Vlor Electric Conductors, oi which the following a specification.

lhe present invention relates broadly to improvements in protective devices and in particular to a guard designed to cooperate with a support lor said conductor whereby to e'liectively protect against accidental conll ti tit) tact with the conductor While at the same time permitting unobstructed use of the saine ior the usual igiurposes.

More specifically, my invention coinprelie-nds the employment of a yieldablo guard lreely swung from a. trolleyy hanger, which hanger normally insulates the guard, the

.latter being adapted upon contact the rewith,

say by the Ahead of a person passing beneath the 'conductor to more or swing laterally into a. position covering the wir-c, Atrom ,which position it returnsto its normal pendant position after the passage of the person tlicrebeneatb.

rll'he oarticular advantaofes of in invention above described may be more readily appreciated when it is explained that it is designed for use in conjunction with. electric conductors employed in mines Where said conductor is disposed at a height liable to permit contact With the conductor oi the heads of persons passing beneath the same. lt is compulsorily required to protect these cmiductors especially at cross-overs in the vmines or at points where diverging branches lead from the main tunnel and it has been the practice lieretolore'to drill a plurality of openings in the ceiling oli the mines parallel with the main line conductor inserting siu'iports in said openings and attaching to said supports the stationary guards or guard members such as boards nailed at intervals. This method, in most instances, necessitates some vlittle expense first in the drilling of the holes for the inserting of the supports for the guard and it also makes the repair of such guard members diliicult when once they have become broken. Again where the guard members are disposed as just described7 in spaced, relation to the conductor passing llierebetwcom aperson risingto an upright position beneatli`-the electric conductor is liable to have his head'guided intoA Contact. with the live Wire il thev head should touch one ot' the guard members directly therebeneatli. To eliminate these .disadvantages and possibilities, I have designed the invention which will be more fully understood by reference to the following description, and to the drawing wherein:

Figure l is a. top plan. View of my invention as applied vto protect` theelectric conductors at the conjunction of a branch tvitli the main tunnel in a mine; and Fig. 2 is an ond elevation showing more clearly the details of construction, and in dotted lines the manner in Which the guard members cooperate with the conductor to protect the same. p v

Throughout the 'following detail description and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like Freference characters.

Specifically describing my invention A designates the electric conductor fory the main tunnel of a mine and B the branch conductor.

C5 C, and. C', C', designate a plurality of trolley supports or hangers disposed at proper intervals to maintain the electric conductors in proper' positions as customary. poneacli of the hangers C, C, oi" the. main lelectric conductor is disposed a horizontal cross-piece l which has 'formed central-ly therein an opening to permit the disposition of the cross piece upon the insulating inember D of the hanger, said cross piece at its extremities being bent vertically at 2 and from these bent ends are pivotally suspended strap members 3. To the corresponding strap members at each side of the electric conductor l are secured in any desired manner the guard members 4, in this instance boards, or it Will be understood that the guard members 4 may be of any desired nonconducting material.

As 'will be clearly seen from the figures of the drawings, the guard members are disposed in spaced relation at each side'of both the main electric conductor and the branch, the extremities ol the guards tor the branch wire being 'suitably spaced from its con" tiguous guard member ofy the main branch to permit movement of said guard members.

These guard members are free to swing laterally so that as a car turns into the branch tunnel the head of an occupant of the car in the event such occupant should be in such a position as --to permit of contact with the main wire will first strike the outer guard member 4 which will yield until it comes into a position contactingwith the electric conductor A and in such position will protect the head of the occupant from contacting with the wire, it being understood that the guard members 4 are pendant a suitable distance lower than the conductor. The occupant is, therefore, protected from injury and vafter, having passed into the branch tun` nel, should it be desired to move inthe opposite drectiom contact with the same main wire is ,effectively prevented by the interposition of the guard member 4 at the opposite side of the main wire A operating in a manner described with reference to the first mentioned guard member.

, Since the cross piece l is located above the insulating member D of the hanger support eachof the guard members al is insulated Having thus described my invention, what 1 I claim as new is l.. In a protective device of the class described, the combination with a support for an electric conductor, of a guard suspended from said support and comprising a movthe `member.

2. In a protective device of the class described, t'he combination' of a support, an electric conductor, a guard suspended from said support and comprising pendant members normally spaced from the conductorto permit free accessL thereto and yieldable toward the conductor for protection therefrom upon contact of an object With-the said spaced members moving transversely across the path of said conductor.

3. In a protective device of the class described, the combination of supports, an electric conductor, a guard suspended from said supports and comprising a pair of cross pieces disposed upon a pair of the supports, each of said cross pieces extending at right angles to the conductor and having its extremities bent downwardly, strap members pivotally secured to the bent extremities of the cross pieces, and guard members of non-conductive material connecting the corresponding strap members at each side of the conductor, said guard members being freely movable toward the conductor and eX tending thereb'eneath.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

` HENRY W. GONIA. Witnesses:

E. C. MARSHALL, A. U. ,'IiEcHER.

Ooplel ofthis patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

